Oh Gods, High School!
by kaufmanl
Summary: Everything is changing on Olympus. Hermes is at Brightwood, while the rest of his friends have started Mt. Olympus High School. And sure, maybe middle school was rough. Maybe students did get raped, and have sex, and jump off buildings, and cheat on each other, and get kidnapped, but that's nothing. Nothing, compared to high school. Sequel to "Summer at Training Camp".
1. Chapter 1: Poopdiving

**Hey guys! Kaufmanl here, welcoming you to the third and second-to-last installment of the "Mt. Olympus Junior High" series! If you've read the sneak peak of this story at the end of "Summer at Training Camp", you might want to just scroll through the first half, but there is some new content. Please enjoy and _pleasepleasepleaseplease _review!**

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_**Hermes**_

Brightwood is about ten times as fancy as MOJH was. For one thing, at MOJH, we had a _cafeteria_. At Brightwood, we have a _dining hall_. It's basically a glorified hallway, with a high, arching marble ceiling, and four long, wooden tables. They each seat about 100 students.

It appears friend groups have already been established, and it's easy to see who's who. Sitting at the end farthest from the teacher's table is the competition team, and judging by the wide berth everyone gives them, they're the popular kids. Next to them are the cheerleaders, followed by a group of muscular guys in varsity jackets that I take to be the football team. I sit down somewhere in the middle, with two other new kids and a whole slew of sixth graders.

"Hi!" One of them greets excitedly. "I'm Hebe!" Hebe's blonde curls bounce happily, her blue eyes sparkling with excitement. She doesn't seem at all nervous, while everyone else looks confused and scared. "What's your name?" Hebe asks a boy sitting next to her. He looks about my age.

"I'm Aristaeus," He mutters, staring at his food.

"Are you going to eat any of that?" Hebe asks, the energy never leaving her voice.

"I'm a vegetarian," He replies.

"Oh," She says, "well, I'm vegan. Sometimes. When I want to be. I'm Hebe, did I mention that? Goddess of youth. Who are you?" She looks at me expectantly.

"Hermes," I reply. She gasps.

"OMG, I've heard of you!" She cries, "You're, like, the messenger guy, right?"

"Um, yeah. I'm the messenger guy," I mutter.

"What about you, Aristaeus?" She asks.

"I'm god of animal husbandry," He says.

"Oh. That's...interesting." Her perky tone never fades.

"I'm twelve," Hebe babbles, "I'm in sixth grade and this is my first year. I do show jumping. What about you? What grade are you in? What do you do?" Aristaeus and I look at each other, while Hebe keeps smiling, glancing back and forth between us.

"Ninth grade," Aristaeus finally answers, "speed racing."

"Cross country," I reply, "I'm in ninth grade, too."

"Oh, isn't this great?" Hebe squeals, "I have friends."

"Wait, what?" Aristaeus cries.

"Friends," Hebe repeats, "we're friends, right?" Aristaeus and I exchange a look. I glance back at the perky, energetic sixth grader and sigh.

"Um, sure," I mutter. Hebe squeals in excitement and jumps up and down in her seat. Aristaeus glares at me. Hebe continues to babble on for the rest of the night, telling us everything from her favorite color to delivering her first horse. Then, towards the end of the meal, a tall, slender man with a perfectly gelled moustache calls the room to attention. It takes me a second, but eventually, I recognize him as Alder Bracken.

"Welcome!" He shouts. There's a cacophony of cheering. "Yes, yes, it is exciting, isn't it? To our returning students, welcome home. To our competition team, congratulations on another National win. And to our new students, welcome to Brightwood Academy!" More cheering. I clap with the others, unsure of what to do. "Classes will begin tomorrow. Please get your schedule from the office before curfew. Which, as many of you seem to forget, is at nine o'clock!" He continues to brief of us on school rules, during which most people tune out. Then, he says something that seems to get their attention. "Now, for our new students, we have a Brightwood tradition to introduce you to." The room goes wild. People are cheering and laughing and screaming, while the new students look around nervously. Alder Bracken waves his arms, and the room breaks out in song.

_Welcome to Brightwood, we're gonna have some fun_

_But first, all the new kids, take a plunge in the dung!_

Wait, what?

_Tradition, tradition, we've done it every year_

_It may be gross and smelly, but it's sure to get a cheer!_

Everyone stands up, and the new students are herded out the door with the rest.

_Maybe two months, or three months, who knows how old?_

_It's covered in bugs and flies and maybe a bit of mold!_

"What are they talking about?" Aristaeus asks me. I shrug.

"It's tradition!" A passing girl tells us, before continuing the song.

_You can muck stalls, paddocks, pastures but you'll never come close_

_To ever doing anything that's possibly this gross!_

Okay, I'm rethinking my decision to come to this school.

_Almost there, we're almost there, you're gonna have a ball,_

_This is all the stuff we clean from every single stall!_

They lead us down the dirt path and around a wooden barn to the back, where the largest pile of horse shit I've ever seen sits, in all it's glory. And stationed above it, hanging off the roof of the barn, is something that looks a lot like a diving board.

...oh no.

_Climb up there, climb up there, then make the fateful leap._

_Falling for forever, until you hit the heap!_

They push us towards a rickety-looking ladder and start herding us up it. The ladder quakes dangerously, new students suspended off of every rung.

_Don't you worry, don't be scared, it will be lots of fun,_

_You don't belong at Brightwood 'till you've landed in the dung!_

Before I know it, I'm standing on the roof, but for a much different reason that the last time I was standing on a roof. I'm pushed along by the other newbies towards the diving board, which can't be safe. I peer over the heads of the students in front of me, and catch site of Hebe whooping with joy as she falls into the pile of shit. The song has ended, and the students have adopted a steady cheer.

_Jump! Jump! Jump! Jump!_

Then I'm being shoved onto the diving board, facing Mt. Horse Excrement. Someone grabs my winged hat off my head. I stare at the pile of poo below me, close my eyes, and leap. It takes about two seconds for me to hit the soft, warm shit. I join at least twenty other new kids, sitting in the surprisingly comfy dung heap. Hebe scrambles over to me.

"Isn't this fun?" She exclaims, tossing a handful of poop at me.

"Oh, yeah," I reply, "I love jumping off buildings into year-old piles of poop." Hebe grins from ear to ear.

"Me too!" She squeals. Suddenly, Aristaeus lands beside us, holding something.

"Here's your hat," He grunts. I take it from him and jam in onto my head, never having liked being without it.

"Aristaeus, isn't this great?" Hebe demands. Aristaeus sighs and nods reluctantly.

"Yeah, I guess it is sorta fun," He admits. Hebe squeals with joy.

"I love having friends!" She shrieks. Aristaeus looks at her, the ghost of a smile appearing on his face.

"Yeah," He mutters, "me too." Who knew jumping into a pile of horse crap could bring people together as well as it does?

Later that night, back in my dorm (after I've washed the horse poop off of myself), I take out a piece of paper and write my first letter.

_Hey guys,_

_Britewood is weerd. I went shitdiving._

_Frum,_

_Me_

_**Artemis**_

"Good morning, students, and welcome to A.P. math!" Our teacher is far too enthusiastic for the first day of school. "My name is Mr. Giles, and yes, I am a satyr." He steps around his desk, his goat feet tapping the floor. Some gasp, a few students laugh, and one makes a goat noise. Mr. Giles rolls his eyes. "Clever," He says, "no one's ever done that before." A couple students laugh, while most stay silent. "Now, you are in A.P. math. Can anyone tell me what that means?"

"Advanced Placement," Athena calls. Mr. Giles nods.

"Yes. This is the advanced math class. Which means I expect you to work harder, do better, and learn faster than any other math class." There's a chorus of groans at this. "So, we're going to get started with a quick pop quiz." More groans, and a few angered cries of, "What?!" And, "But it's the _first day_!" Mr. Giles clops around the room, passing out tests. I take out my pencil and wait. Mr. Giles puts a test down on my desk, and I look down at it.

_1. What is your favorite color?_

_2. Satyrs or centaurs?_

_3. Team Peeta or Team Gale?_

_4. How's your first day of highschool been?_

Mr. Giles smirks at our confused faces.

"Go on," He says, "answer them." So I start writing. About two or so minutes in, Athena leans over to look at my paper.

"Ew!" She gasps, "Team Gale?" I roll my eyes.

"They have so much more in common," I explain.

"C'mon, Artemis," Apollo cuts in, "even Katniss is on Team Peeta."

"Eyes on your own paper!" I snap.

Mr. Giles spends the rest of the class briefing us on the curriculum and asking dumb math questions. Predictably, Athena answers them all. By the end of class, she's standing at his desk, and they're having a contest to see who can recite more digits of pi backwards. Of course, since pi goes on forever, neither of them can start. They find this incredibly funny, and so does Apollo. The three of them are in hysterics, while the rest of the class eyes them awkwardly.

Then the bells rings (thankfully), and we head to our next class, sword fighting. Our teacher is a tall, formidable-looking dryade who introduces herself as Mrs. Barker. She says we should all have significant enough training to take on one of the seniors, and then says that when she was our age, she battled six chimeras at once.

"By the end of the year," She barks, "you incompetent little worms will be _warriors_!" The class shrinks back while she yells at us. "Now pair up, and show me what you've got!" Then, as an afterthought, "If you've got anything." Athena and I cross our swords, while Apollo takes on Perseus. The room is filled with the clashes and clangs of blades connecting, while Mrs. Barker walks around, surveying us with an unimpressed expression. "Is this it?" She asks boredly, "Nine years of training, and this is all you can do?" She pushes Perseus away from Apollo, drawing her own sword and making a stab at him. In the blink of an eye, he's brought his sword down and knocked hers out of her hand. Her eyes follow her sword to the ground, and then she slowly looks back up at him. He cowers under her glare. Her lip curls, and I swear I hear a low growl emanate from her. "You!" She snarls, grabbing him by the sleeve. She then whirls around to face Athena and I. "You two as well!" She snaps, "Come with me!"

We follow her wordlessly from the room and out of the building to the football field. It's empty, save for us. We're alone with a furious maniac teacher. Great.

Mrs. Barker lets go of Apollo and turns to face us.

"Sssssssso," She hisses, "look what we have here. My master will be sssssssso pleased." Athena, Apollo, and I glance at each other, confused. "Ssssssssilly children. Ssssssilly, sssssstupid little children." Athena sets her jaw, the word "stupid" striking a nerve in her. "You got away from him, but you can't escape me! Ssssssee, he wants revenge. And I do to. Ssssso, we joined forces." Apollo gasps.

"Prometheus," He whispers.

"That'ssssss right," Mrs. Barker hisses, "conssssssider thisssss a warning." Then her body is engulfed with light, reminding me of last year's Nationals, when Macey Malone revealed herself. There's a blinding flash, and then Mrs. Barker returns. But instead of legs, from her hips branch the bodies of two, giant, snakes.

"Echidna!" Athena screams.

"Your father imprisoned my mate beneath Mt. Etna," She cries, "and now, Olympussssssssss will pay!"

"Think you can take us?" Apollo scoffs, drawing his sword. Echidna/Mrs. Barker lets out a high, cruel laugh.

"Why, yesssssss." With that, one of her snake-legs swings up and knocks us all back about six feet. I struggle onto all fours, trying to catch my breath. Echidna slithers forward.

"RUN!" Athena screams. We scramble to our feet, running for dear life. I bolt for the gate to the field, only to find it locked. I curse, slamming my foot into the wire fence. "Climb!" Athena orders, "Quickly!" I wind my fingers into the diamond-shaped wire and start pulling myself up. Athena and Apollo follow suit. Echidna slithers along behind us.

"You really think you can just run away?" She scoffs, slamming one of her snake tails into the fence. It shakes violently, then falls over, the three of us still clinging to it. We hit the ground with a thud, the fence collapsing around the football field in a rippling domino effect. I wriggle out from beneath the fence and pull it off of Apollo and Athena.

"Just asking," Apollo says, waving his sword wildly and making a deep cut in one of Echidna's tails, "but if Zeus imprisoned Typhon beneath Mt. Etna, why are you after us?" Echidna laughs and lunges at Apollo, pinning him to the ground and wrapping her long, black claws around his neck.

"Zeussssss will do anything for his little babiesssssss." She traces a claw around Apollo's face. "Sssssssuch a handsome little boy," She hisses, "shame." She prepares to draw a cut across his face.

"Get off of him!" Athena cries, bringing her sword down on Echidna' back. Shrieking in rage, she abandons my brother and turns on Athena.

"Oh, how sssssweet," She mocks, "protecting your little boyfriend." Athena blushes, but the rage never fades from her eyes. "Fine. I guessssss I could kill you, instead."

"Hey!" I shout, "Over here!" I pick up a piece of the fence and hurl it with all my might. It hits Echidna in the back, knocking her over. Once she's pushed herself up, she turns slowly to face me, rage boiling in her eyes. "Shit." She curls her lip and snarls, revealing a set of sharp, pointed teeth. "Run!" I cry. We dash towards the building, Echidna slithering after us. Once we reach the building, Athena instructs us to split up. We run in different directions, hoping to confuse Echidna. I race down a hallway, unaware of whether or not I'm being followed.

"Let'sssss ssssee how much Daddy really caressss about you?" Echidna's voice slithers into my head. I keep running. "Join usssss, Artemisssss. Get your revenge." I try to push her words out of my head. "Sssssilly little girl, alwayssss sssecond to her brother. Daddy alwayssss liked him more, didn't he?"

"Stop!" I cry, hitting a dead end and whirling around to face her. Without thinking, I draw my sword and throw it at her. It embeds itself in her stomach, and she doubles over, gasping.

"You...," She says weakly, "you...little...devil. You..." She slithers slowly towards me, clutching at her middle. She pulls the sword out of her stomach, and it makes a sickly squelch noise. My back is pressed up against the wall as she moves towards me, and presses her hands against the wall, trapping me. "You're...gonna...die...Artemissss." She reaches with one trembling hand towards my neck, extending her black claws like switchblades and sliding one across my neck, as if as a warning. I gasp, realizing now that every breath could be my last. "You'll...pay...for...thissssss..." I fumble desperately along the wall, my hands connecting with something cold and round. "Get ready...to die..." She reaches up, lays one of her claws on my neck, and prepares to make the fatal cut.

"AAAAAAHHHH!" I shriek, pressing down on the nozzle of the red cylinder in my hands. Foam sprays everywhere, the strength of the blast knocking Echidna off her feet and filling her mouth, as it sucks in her dying breath. Students pour out of classrooms and spot me, clutching a fire extinguisher. Buried beneath the white fluff is Echidna's dead body. Mr. Giles pushes through it and retrieves her, the bloody sword wound glaring red under the sea of white. He looks at me, then at the sword on the ground.

"With me," He says sharply, "now." Just then, Athena and Apollo round the corner.

"Is she dead?" Apollo asks, "Did you kill her?" His eyes fall upon the body in Mr. Giles's arms. "Oh." Mr. Giles sighs.

"You two as well," He says. We follow him to an empty classroom, and he pulls us inside. "Care to tell me why I found you holding a fire extinguisher in front of a dead body?" He asks me. We all start to talk at once.

"It was Mrs. Barker-"

"She took us out to the field-"

"You see, this summer-" Mr. Giles waves his arms, silencing us.

"One at a time," He instructs. No one talks, so I take it as my cue to speak.

"This summer, at training camp, I was kidnapped by Prometheus. He wanted to use me as ransom for his freedom. The boys found me, but Prometheus got away. Echidna told us she's joined forces with him. She wants revenge for Typhon being imprisoned beneath Mt. Etna," I explain. Mr. Giles eyes me suspiciously.

"Okay," He says slowly, "then where did Echidna come from?"

"She was in disguise," Apollo says, "as Mrs. Barker."

"You're telling the truth?" He asks skeptically. We nod. "Well, then, I'm going to take your word for it. This could be very dangerous. I'll alert Zeus. Until I get further word, you aren't to leave Olympus without official permission, understand? It sounds like we have a war brewing, and you're key players. Don't go near anyone who's the least bit suspicious. Keep your guard up. Make sure your armed at all times. Never travel alone. Got it?" We nod. Mr. Giles dismisses us and leaves for the palace, and we head back to the sword-fighting classroom to inform the other students that Mrs. Barker had an urgent meeting to attend, as instructed by Mr. Giles. They seem to buy it. At least, no one's complaining that she's gone.

"High school is...exciting, isn't it?" Apollo says, once we've sat down on the bleachers with the other students (no one wants to sword fight at nine in the morning unless they have to).

"No kidding," I reply, "One of our teachers is half goat, and the other one is half snake." Athena sighs.

"And it's not even third period."


	2. Chapter 2: The Second Chapter

**I am ****_so _****sorry it took me so long to update this. I've been really busy with school and I've had play rehearsal every night until 6:00. But, hopefully this extra-long chapter will make up for it. Sorry for the super uncreative chapter title. I couldn't think of anything better. Please review!**

**Loves chipmunks: Oh my god(s), that is one of the nicest reviews I've ever gotten. Which is not an easy feat, because all of you are ****_so _****nice with your reviews. I'm so glad you enjoy the stories, and thank you ****_so so so so _****much for sharing them with your friends!**

**Unknown: Are you kidding? Team Peeta 100%. As Apollo said, "Even ****_Katniss _****is on Team Peeta." Thanks so much for the review!**

**Guest: I'm going to try to update as much as I can, but I've been really busy lately. Hopefully I won't take this long again, sorry about that!**

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_**Hermes**_

It takes Aristaeus a day to ditch Hebe and I and join the football team. My roommate is part of the competition team, and immediately informed me that we are not friends. In fact, we're anything but. And I shouldn't talk to any of his friends that came into our room. If anyone asks, I'm mute. When I pointed out that if someone asks, and supposedly I'm mute, then I won't be able to answer, he told me to learn sign language and fuck off. So one thing Brightwood has taught me, is that no matter where you go, there's a Theseus. It may not be Theseus, but there's still a Theseus. Just not the Theseus. A Theseus.

Wow I just confused myself.

Another thing that I learn from Brightwood is that everyone is really, really, really good at one thing. It's a school of dressage prodigies who can't jump to save their lives, and speed racers with no idea how to perform a lateral movement. At Ashwood, Crystal made sure we were all fairly well-rounded. Cross country is my forte, but I can still show jump and I'm not the worst at dressage. That's not how it is at Brightwood. You're the absolute best at one thing and completely incompetent at everything else. Otherwise, you're weird.

In short, I'm weird.

Of course, on my student file, it says I do cross country. And that means I can't do anything else, by Brightwood standards. So, on the first day of school, Lancelot and I find ourselves in Show Jumping Basics, being laughed at by the pretentious show jumpers from the competition team. I'm with a few nervous-looking dressage riders, excited speed racers, and bored cross country students.

"Now," Our teacher says, "for those of you in cross country, you may think this is going to be redundant and boring. But it's not. In cross country, you go for speed. In show jumping, you go for technique. You want to make it look easy and effortless, not fast. We're going to start off by jumping a simple horizontal rail, just to see what you guys can do. Okay? Line up." The speed racers, eager to start jumping things, push to the front. The dressage riders head for the back, and the cross country students fall somewhere in the middle. Lancelot waits patiently for his turn, watching the others with interest. They're beautiful horses, a shiny array of flashy chestnuts and majestic palominos and gorgeous bays. Lancelot, I'm proud to say, fits right in.

The riders take the jump one by one, the speed racers overshooting it terribly. The first cross country rider does okay, but our teacher is clearly not impressed. Then it's our turn. I stir Lancelot into a nice canter and turn him towards the jump. He takes three, even strides, then pushes off with his powerful hind legs. I stand up in two point, and Lance pulls up his knees and pricks his ears. He lands soundly and I pull him down to a stop, halting a few feet away from the jump. The teacher doesn't look pleased. He looks confused.

"You're in cross country," He says.

"Yeah, I am," I reply, confused as to why he's telling me this.

"Well, did you do show jumping in a former life, or something?" He asks.

"I took show jumping classes at the barn where I used to ride," I explain, "we took classes in everything."

"Oh," He says, "well, then I guess you don't need Show Jumping Basics. So, you can just, um, leave, if you want."

"Okay." The other students glare at me as I ride Lancelot out of the arena. Two important-looking Brightwood teachers watch me, clipboards in hand. In total, it's a very uncomfortable experience. I feel their eyes upon me as I lead Lance toward Barn D (Brightwood has barns all the way up to Q). I pass Hebe's dressage crash course, and she waves at me excitedly from the back of Candy, her pretty piebald pony. The other sixth graders roll their eyes and give her weird looks, and I smile back at her, wondering if she'll ever realize how much of a loser she is. Maybe she knows, and she just doesn't care. How great would that be?

I lead Lance into his stall and untack him, then sit down on a hay bale, wondering what I should do now. My next class isn't for another half an hour. I could go sit with the competition team and laugh at all the people in the beginner classes, but that doesn't sound particularly fun. Then again, neither is sitting on a hay bale wondering what I should do.

"What are you doing?"

"Are you just sitting on this hay bale?"

"_So_ lame." I look up to see three, beautiful girls standing in front of me, their arms crossed. Nemesis, Eris, and Nyx. The most popular girls at Brightwood, co-captains of the competition team, and a mix between every boy's wildest dream and worst nightmare.

"I can't believe he's joining," Eris groans. I furrow my brow.

"Okay, idiot. Those people watching your class were scouts for the competition team. They saw that little stunt you pulled-"

"'Stunt'?" I echo, "It wasn't a stunt! I just jumped the rail, like I was told to! What's wrong with that?"

"Don't interrupt," Nyx hisses. "Anyway, they must've been hit with a brick or something, but they liked what they saw. Which means your probably going to be on the team, which means I'm probably going to have to learn to tolerate you."

"What ever shall you do?" I mutter.

"I'm sorry, did we say you could speak?" Nemesis hisses. Eris crosses her arms and glares at me.

"Listen, Herpes," She snaps, "if, by some miracle, you make it onto this team, there's one thing you should know: _I'm_ in charge. _Don't_ get in my way. C'mon, girls." With that, they storm out of the barn. Lance pokes his head over the half-wall and lips at my hair, bored.

"Wow," I mutter, "_three_ Macey Malones." Suddenly, I hear loud braying coming from another stall. "What the...?" I mutter, getting to my feet. It comes again, followed by a pained squeal. I start walking down the hall towards the noise. When I reach the stall, I find a donkey, lying on her side, sweating and squealing. Without thinking, I let myself into the stall. "Easy, girl," I tell her, running my hands over her sweaty neck. That's when I notice how fat she is, and the two little feet poking out of her rear end. Oh my gods, she's giving birth. _Okay, calm down,_ I tell myself, _you've delivered foals before_. I run out of the stall and into the tack room, grabbing some gauze to wrap her tail. I fill a bucket with water, then head back into the stall. A muzzle has appeared alongside the two front feet, which means the foal is facing the right direction. I quickly wrap her tail and pull it out of the way, and then I move away and sit by her head, knowing mares don't like to be disturbed if they don't need to be. I pat her neck throughout the process, trying to keep her calm. Her stomach expands and contracts wildly, pushing the foal out. She squeals with each contraction, and that's when I notice the foal doesn't seem to be moving. It's stuck.

Cursing, I scramble over to her rear and grasp the foal's fetlock. "Sorry, girl," I tell her, before pulling on the foal's legs. She squeals and her stomach contracts, and the foal's head comes fully out. "Good girl." I pat her haunches, hoping she can handle it on her own for now. No such luck. Groaning, I take a deep breath, and plunge my hands in. They fumble around blindly for a moment, before finding the foal's...well, for lack of better word, armpits, and pull. It's shoulders come through, and the donkey squeals and pushes. The foal starts sliding out, and within ten minutes, is completely out of the mare's stomach. She gets shakily to her feet, and I hold the bucket of water to her nose. Behind her, the little foal struggles onto it's spindly shaky legs. It falls down on it's first few tries, but eventually gets up and makes it's way over to it's mother.

"OMG, that's adorable!" A voice squeaks from behind me. I turn around to see Hebe, jumping up and down. Candy drops his head and makes a noise that sounds a lot like sighing at his owner's immaturity. "What's his name?"

"I don't know," I reply, stepping out of the stall, "he was just born. Literally, just born. Like, two minutes ago."

"What's on your hands?" Hebe asks, wrinkling her nose.

"Placenta," I answer simply. We lean on the half-wall for a moment and watch the foal suck milk from his mother. I've seen it plenty of times, but it'll always be one of the cutest things ever.

After riding practice, I head back to my dorm. And for the first time in a long time, I feel really, truly happy. I fit in here. I'm not "the suicidal kid" anymore. I'm just a normal student. And besides Nemesis, Nyx, and Eris, no one seems to hate me. Maybe, just maybe, things'll work out here.

_**Artemis**_

The following has been spell-checked for your safety:

_Dear Fartemis,_

_How's high school? I hope it's fun. Brightwood is. On the first day, all the new kids had to jump off the roof into a pile of horse poop. It was awesome! I don't have so many friends yet, but I'll get there. I might be on the competition team, and then I'll have lots of friends. As Apollo would say, you have to look on the sunny side._

_This morning, I delivered a baby donkey. He was 74 pounds and standing in an hour. Pretty good, if I do say so myself. And I do. So there. Hebe named him Sugar. Then he bit her. I don't think he appreciated the girly name, so that rules out the possibility of him being gay. Darn._

_Classes are going okay. I'm meeting with a tutor, because of my dyslexia. I haven't been expelled yet, so it's probably working._

_How is everyone? What are the teachers like? Is Theseus still a dickface? Anything cool happen lately? What have I missed?_

_See You Soon,_

_Hermes_

It hits me then how much I miss him. I'd sort of just been pushing him out of my head, trying not to think about how things would be if he were here. But getting that letter drives a dagger into my chest. He really loves it there. They're making him better. He's not coming back. I guess, from the moment he said he was going to Brightwood, my inner devil had this tiny hope he would hate it and come back. But he likes it there. Sighing, I grab some paper and a pen and start my reply.

_Dear Herpes,_

_High School is fun. On the first day, our sword-fighting teacher pulled Apollo, Athena, and I onto the football field and turned into Echidna. She'd joined forces with Prometheus. Our AP Math teacher (who, by the way, is a goat) thinks there's going to be a war, but I don't think we'll see much of Prometheus this year. He's building an army. And, knowing the amount of people Dad has offended, it'll be pretty easy._

_We all miss you a ton. It's not the same without you. But it sounds like you're enjoying yourself, so that's good. Just don't get too rusty. I want a worthy opponent when I see you at training camp._

_Jane's funeral is next week. Are you going to come? Your mom said you aren't, but I just thought I'd ask. I miss you._

_Love,_

_Artemis_

Was the "love" too much? Friends tell each other they love each other, right? But I don't want to be friends. I want to be more. I want what I can't have. I want love. I want his love.

* * *

"I just love chemistry," Athena babbles, "it's so fascinating! All you have to do is put two different chemicals together, and you can make a massive explosion. Isn't that awesome?"

"Yup," I reply boredly. I've learned to just let Athena talk when she gets like this.

"And of course, languages are amazing, too. Just think: all these words we use to communicate are really just sounds. But we gave them meaning, and they evolved into thousands and thousands of-ow!" Suddenly, she trips over her shoelace and falls, her books flying everywhere. I bend down to help her pick them up, but a tan, large hand gets there first.

"Here," The owner of the hand says, handing Athena her math textbook. Athena looks up and meets his eyes, her face burning. I have to admit, he is good-looking. Tall, muscular, perfect hair. Just a little too perfect, though.

"Thanks," Athena stammers, placing the book back in her bag. "I'm Athena."

"Hymen," The boy replies, "you're a freshman, right?"

"Yeah," Athena says, her face still as red as a brick wall.

"I'm a junior," He says, his eyes still locked on Athena's. Neither of them move, staring into each other's eyes. I cough awkwardly, knowing we're going to be late for powers if we don't hurry up. Neither Athena nor Hymen seems to notice.

"Kay, well, nice meeting you, Hymen!" I interrupt, grabbing Athena's arm and starting to pull her away, "We're going to be late. Bye!" With that, I turn and pull Athena down the hall and into the classroom.

"What was that for?" She demands, setting her things down next to mine, "He was gorgeous. And such a gentleman. I think I'm in love." I roll my eyes.

"You are not in love, you just met him. And we were going to be late," I explain. Athena sighs. "Besides, he was probably gay, anyway."

"Who's gay?" Dionysus asks, walking into the classroom right at that moment, Hephaestus trailing after him.

"Hymen," Athena answers, "and he was not gay."

"What did he look like?" Dionysus demands. Hephaestus rolls his eyes.

"He was perfect," Athena sighs dreamily, "tall, muscular, perfect hair, gorgeous blue eyes-"

"OMG, who?" Aphrodite squeals, running over to our table.

"Hymen," I answer, "this boy Athena met for five seconds when she dropped her books."

"Did he pick them up for you?" Aphrodite gushes. Athena nods. "Oh my gods, that is so romantic." I roll my eyes. Aphrodite glares at me. "Don't roll your eyes," She reprimands, "you can try to deny it, but you're still in love with Hermes."

"What?" I cry defensively, my face burning, "I am not."

"Please," Athena scoffs, "I saw that letter you wrote to him at study hall. 'I miss you a ton. It isn't the same without you.'"

"Shut up," I mutter, "he's my friend, okay? I miss him. Friends miss each other."

"Friends don't sign their letters 'love Artemis'," Athena shoots back. Just then, Ares and Apollo walk through the door.

"So, you're telling me the answer to all the world's problems is eliminating math?" Apollo says skeptically.

"It'll work! See, if there were no numbers, then no one would know how many people were in the world, and they wouldn't be so paranoid about world population," Ares explains.

"Your solution to the world population issue is ignoring it?" Athena scoffs.

"Everyone I don't like I either ignore or kill," Ares reasons, "and, so far, it's worked."

"So, what you're saying is, you like us?" Athena points out. Ares ignores her. Well played. The rest of the class continues to trickle in, the conversation going back and forth from Hymen to Ares's plans for world peace. Persephone trudges in, whining to Coral about her long-distance relationship with Jason, and how it's "killing her inside". By the time class starts, however, Hestia still hasn't shown up.

_**Hestia**_

High school is worse than training camp. "Cool" at training camp was being on level fifteen and winning survival. Being beautiful was an added bonus. "Cool" at high school is being tall and skinny and gorgeous and having six boyfriends at once. Being able to kill a man 147 ways with your bare hands isn't even an added bonus. It doesn't count for anything.

It takes me a day to hate myself again. To resent that I'm not skinny like Coral. To loathe that I'm not gorgeous like Aphrodite. And there's only one way to be thinner and prettier without starving myself.

So, on the second day of highschool, when I should be in class, I'm vomiting up everything I've eaten in the past few weeks. It burns my throat and I hate it, but I need it. Tears pour down my cheeks as I gag and cough, promising myself it's for the better. _It's okay because you'll be prettier_. And that's good, because I need to be prettier. I couldn't keep Ares's attention. I need to work harder to keep Apollo's.

"Hestia?" I'm so caught up in my actions that I don't hear the footsteps entering the room. Slowly, I push myself away from the toilet and into a sitting position.

"Apollo, you shouldn't be in the girls' bathroom," I tell him.

"You shouldn't be making yourself throw up," He replies, sitting down next to me. "Hestia, why? Why did you do this?" I sigh.

"I just want-" I stop myself. "I need to be skinnier."

"Why would you ever think that?" He cries, his outburst making me jump. "Hestia, how many times have I told you this? You're the most amazing, kind, empathetic, compassionate, beautiful girl I've ever met. You don't need to be the least bit skinnier. You're perfect." I smile softly, my eyes on the ground.

"I wish I could make myself believe that," I sigh.

"Have you tried looking in the mirror?" He suggests. I turn to face him and wrap my arms around his neck.

"I won't do it ever again," I tell him, "if you'll promise me one thing."

"What's that?" He asks.

"Don't ever leave me." He smiles.

"Never."


	3. Chapter 3: Cracks in the Sky

**Hey guys! Here's chapter 2! This is probably as fast as I'll be able to update, but I'll try my best. Also, this Saturday, I'm going to be doing absolutely nothing, and I'd love to talk to some of you guys. Feel free to PM me here on , talk to me via my twitter ( M_O_J_H) , or send me an ask on tumblr ( .com)!**

**Ellie whaddup: Don't worry, Hestia and Ares get back together. That's not until towards the end, though. Sorry! Glad you like the story!**

**Loves chipmunks: Thank you so much! You always leave such nice reviews, and I'm so grateful to get them. And than you so much for sharing with your friends! I'm so glad you all enjoy my writing, that makes me feel so good. Thanks for reviewing!**

**Unknown: Thanks for not being mad! Glad you liked the chapter!**

* * *

**_Hermes_**

_Dear Fartemis,_

_Hebe gave me this awesome spell-checking pen, so you no longer have to deal with deciphering my letters. How are things? I miss you a ton. Things at Brightwood are going pretty well. Guess who's coaching the Brightwood Competition Team? Uncle Poseidon! So that's what he does with his time! I always thought he just sat around and ate chips all day. Guess not. He and Alder Bracken have been watching the lessons for the past week, looking for students for the competition team. It's really nerve-wracking._

_I'm not coming to Jane's funeral. I'd miss too much school. And I don't really think I want to see her lying in a coffin._

_So how are things at high school? Any drama I've missed? Are Apollo and Hestia still together? If so, tell him to ditch her because we all know he belongs with Athena. It's endgame. I'm not even going to ask about Hephaestus and Dionysus. Our precious gay couple isn't going anywhere. Have any teachers spontaneously turned into monsters since your last letter?_

_Love,_

_Hermes_

_Dear Herpes,_

_No one's spontaneously turned into a monster. To be honest, it's getting a little boring. I haven't chopped a head off in weeks. And thanks to our new bodyguard, high school isn't even that scary. Athena met this super popular junior named Hymen, and he's totally in love with her, so he's basically babysitting us to win her over. I'm not arguing. Theseus hasn't gone anywhere near us since school started. Do you know if you're on the competition team yet? If not, when do you find out? Hopefully we can see you at competitions. Tell Uncle Poseidon I say "hi"._

_Love,_

_Artemis_

_Dear Fartemis,_

_Your last letter got lost in the mail. They couldn't find anyone named, "Mr. Fairy Feet". I found it in the pile, though. Not. Amused. Fartemis. Good news: I made the competition team! My roommate suddenly really likes me, and I'm supposed to sit with the popular kids at lunch. So I've been dividing my time between Hebe and the competition team. Eris says I'm only there because the coach is my uncle, but everyone else told me to ignore her._

_So I guess I'll be seeing you at competitions. It's been a week, but it seems like forever. I miss all of you like crazy. And I miss you. A lot._

_Love,_

_Hermes_

_Dear Herpes,_

_That's great! Can't wait to see you! Jane's funeral was last weekend. Your mom gave her your note. It was nice, as far as funerals go. There was this man there that just looked really depressed. I think it was her dad._

_The first football game was this week. We won, but with Hephaestus on defense and Ares as quarterback, what do you expect? It was fun. Achilles and Jason were here for Jane's funeral, so they went with us. Persephone and Jason pretty much made out the whole time._

_Supposedly, Typhon has escaped Mt. Etna. I doubt he did it alone. Everyone thinks Prometheus is behind it. Dad's getting really nervous. He says we're on the verge of another Titan war. We can only hope he won't find Tartarus, but considering no one but Dad knows where it is, I doubt he will. Hopefully we'll see you before Prometheus blows up the world._

_Love,_  
_Artemis_

_Dear Fartemis,_

_Please stop addressing your letters to "Sir Herpes" and "Mr. Fairy Feet". Eventually I"m just going to stop replying. Another titan war? Woah. I better break that longest fart record before it starts._

_My roommate, Aether, had a party this weekend. He gave me a brownie. Thinking back on it, it was probably pot. Oh well. Then I tried to go the bathroom and ended up walking in on a three-way. Other than that, it was a pretty fun party. Hebe wasn't there, though. Aether says he's not inviting loser sixth graders. I'm not sure how I feel about him. I guess he's a nice guy, as long as you're popular._

_On a totally unrelated note, I noticed you've been signing your letters "Love Artemis". I have been, too. So...?_

_Love,_

_Hermes_

_Dear Fairy Feet,_

_Friends say "love", right?_

_Love,_

_Artemis_

_Dear Fartemis,_

_I guess they do. If they love each other. As friends._

_Love,_

_Hermes_

_Dear Fairy Feet,_

_And if they love each other as more than friends._

_Love,_

_Artemis_

_Dear Fartemis,_

_Yeah. That too._

_Love,_

_Hermes_

* * *

I'm sitting in English class, trying to read the sentence on the board, when an alarm sounds. A blaring siren echoes through the building. The new students look around, confused, while those who have been at Brightwood for a while jump to their feet. A voice comes over the intercom, telling all the students to report to their dorms immediately.

"What's going on?" I ask, to no one in particular.

"The shroud broke!" Flora (goddess of spring flowers), one of the nicer members of the competition team, shouts. The intercom keeps telling us to go to our dorms, but everyone is racing towards the front lawn. Flora grabs me by the hand. "C'mon," She says, "let's go check it out!" The hallway is packed with teachers trying to direct students to their dorms, and students pushing towards the entryway to Brightwood. Flora groans; it's almost impossible to move in the tightly packed hallway.

"Hold on," I warn. Flora looks confused, but grips my wrist tighter. She gives a small shriek when we lift off the ground, and I fly out the door, Flora still clinging to my arm. Once we make it to the front lawn, I set us down softly in the grass.

"It's huge!" Flora cries, "It's never been this bad before!" She points upward, and I follow her finger to one of the scariest and most breathtaking sights I'll ever see.

Shrouds are invisible from the inside, unless they break. If they do, the torn edges glow, making it easier for them to be fixed without those hidden within them having to go out to see the rip. Above us, two long, jagged strips of light zig-zag from about fifty feet above us down to the ground. It's a straight tear, right down the middle of the shroud. And standing in front of the tear are five confused, terrified mortals. More students begin to pour out of the doors, and the mortals catch glimpses of hundreds of teenagers in futuristic clothing, some leading horses, others talking on cellphones or carrying laptops, giving the mortals an easy glimpse of the future. Even though it's only the 8th Century BCE, nymphs, gods, goddesses, heroes, heroines, and anyone living on Olympus have access to anything invented in all the years to come. Mortals don't. So seeing all of it displayed at once probably comes as a bit of a shock. To make matters worse, Alder Bracken gallops in on a big black stallion at that moment, carrying a megaphone.

"Hermes!" A voice cries. I turn around to see Hebe fighting through the crowd to me. "Hermes, what's going on? Why is there a crack in the sky?"

"It's the shroud," I explain, "it broke. And now all the mortals can see us." Flora gives Hebe an awkward look. She's popular, so she shouldn't be near Hebe, and she won't hear the end of it from Eris if she's caught. But Flora is one of the nicest people I've ever met (besides Hestia), and she knows it's wrong to leave because of someone's social status, especially when Hebe looks as frightened as she does.

"What are they going to do to them?" Hebe asks nervously.

"Usually, if the crack is pretty small, they'll wipe their memories," Flora says, "but, I don't know, this one is huge. I don't know if the memory wipe'll be strong enough to make them forget this. I've never seen the shroud tear this badly." Hebe clings to my arm desperately.

"Are they going to hurt them?" She whimpers. Flora bends down a bit so she's on eye level with Hebe.

"I'm sure they won't," Flora promises her, "they never have."

"STUDENTS!" Alder Bracken shouts over the megaphone, "PLEASE GO TO YOUR DORMS IMMEDIATELY!" The mortals take a few steps back, frightened. Nobody moves. "_IMMEDIATELY_!" Students start retreating at the danger in his voice. Hebe fights me as I start to pull her away.

"No!" She cries, "They're going to hurt them, I _know_ they're going to hurt them!" She struggles as I yank her towards the dorms.

"Please calm down," Flora begs, "they're going to be fine."

"No they're not!" Hebe starts crying, "They're going to kill them! They are, I swear, they are!"

"They won't, Hebe," I promise her. Hebe keeps fighting and sobbing, insisting that the mortals are going to be killed. "Fine," I finally tell her, "we'll hind behind the building and you can see what they do." I grab her wrist and dash behind the school building, then wait for the students to clear. Flora spots me and mouths, "What are you doing?" I shake my head and gesture for her to keep going, and she does. Eventually, once all the students have left, I peer my head around the side of the building.

Many of the other teachers, including Uncle Poseidon, have joined Alder Bracken. They're holding the struggling, terrified mortals by their arms, not speaking to them. I assume they're going to wipe the mortals's memories.

"What are they doing?" Hebe whispers tearfully. Not believing my eyes, I see Alder Bracken pull a gun.

"They're-nothing, Hebe. They're wiping their memories, that's all," I lie. Hebe nods and breathes a sigh of relief. The mortals stare fearfully at the gun, not knowing what it is. Alder moves his finger to the trigger. I pull my head back, not wanting to watch, and pull Hebe into a hug. She starts trembling, knowing that something's wrong.

_BANG_.

The first gunshot. Hebe gives a yelp of terror and clings to me tighter, her tears soaking my shirt.

_BANG. BANG. BANG. BANG._

Four more shots ring out. Hebe is shaking violently and gripping me so tightly I think she's going to strangle me. I hold her to me, letting her cry.

"They killed them," She whimpers, "why did they do that? Why did they kill them?"

"Shhhh," I tell her, "it's okay." She continues to sob, not letting go of me. And I wonder how hard this must be for her. She's only twelve, and she just heard the sounds of five innocent people dying. It's horrific, no matter what age you are. But I've seen enough horrific things not to cry.

Eventually, her tears stop, and I lead her away from the building, taking care to stand in between her and the school property line.

Because on that line, five innocent, bloody, unmoving bodies lie.


End file.
